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The years at Rabén & Sjögren

The success of Pippi Longstocking also led to the rapid growth of the publishing house Rabén & Sjögren, and the publishing director, Hans Rabén, complained about his workload. Elsa Olenius then suggested that Astrid Lindgren, who could both type and take shorthand, should be hired. Astrid took on the responsibility for children's book publishing in 1946 and thus had dual roles at the publishing house; she was a writer in the mornings and an editor in the afternoons.

The joy of writing was so great that it often happened quickly and easily. Sometimes ideas and texts came to her when she least expected them. "Like, for example, Master Detective Blomkvist, he came to me in our rowboat in Furusund. And it goes so fast that I almost feel embarrassed when I hear how many others work hard on their books. I have a strange feeling that the book is already finished when I start writing; I'm just there to transcribe."

Astrid's enormous work capacity is well-known. To manage demanding publishing work while also pursuing her own writing is undoubtedly admirable. In the mornings and early afternoons, she writes or transcribes her own books at home in bed. After a quick lunch and a brisk walk to the office on Tegnérgatan, she began her work as a children's book editor in the afternoons.

For several years, Astrid was solely responsible for children's book publishing at the publishing house, while also managing her own international sales. However, in 1952, she received assistance from Marianne Eriksson, who was the editorial secretary, and Kerstin Kvint, who started as an office assistant and eventually became responsible for international sales at the publishing house.